Looking For A Weakness
by writer-jm
Summary: Tohru gets into trouble from the Prince Yuki Fan Club and Hana proposes a unique solution to the problem: They become a couple! shoujoai
1. Chapter 1

Here's my contribution to the Hana/Tohru area. I've loved how sweet Tohru is and like how Hana opens up to her. There's definitely some strong hints of Hana's feelings in both anime and manga, but I'd like for more of it to be in fanfiction! I'm kind of scared that they will pair Tohru up with Kyo or Yuki (no offense to fans of those couplings…). I just want Hana to be loved. (Not to mention the guys have multiple other candidates) So here's my story for my favorite Fruits Basket character, Saki Hanajima.

Short rant: I used to see a few Tohru/Hana stories every now and then, but I haven't seen any in a while… I hope this helps motivate someone to start!

As usual…

Speaking "…"

Thoughts '…"

Comments (…)

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Baskets. If I did, it would have a nice shoujo-ai ending.

Looking for a Weakness

Chapter One

Saki "Hana" Hanajima was worried. She was often concerned about her friends, but she was never frantic. Her pace was swift as she headed down the school halls. Her mind was pushed to its limits as she used her uncommon psychic abilities, searching for one particular signature. One that was precious to her.

'Where are you, Tohru?' she thought. Her friend was not in class when she had returned from the faculty office. There had been suspicious circumstances involved. One of the Prince Yuki fan club had said that a particular teacher had wanted to see her. Surprisingly, Arisa, or "Uo," had been called to another location on the far end of the school. Things didn't make sense. Thus, she was worried.

----

Five minutes later, Hana was standing outside of a locked janitor's closet desperately trying to open it. Inside was her sobbing friend. Only a moment later, Uo showed up with a janitor in tow.

Hana blinked her tears away as she looked at her friend in surprise. "How did you know where to go?"

"I didn't trust the look in that fan girl's eyes, so I 'persuaded' her to tell me the truth." The janitor was hurriedly trying keys in the door.

"Arisa, what happened?" Hana was anxious and talking kept her from frying the door.

Uo clenched her fist. "An ambush…to send a message to stay away from 'their' Yuki." Uo growled. If not for concern for the well-being of Tohru, there was no doubt what her blond friend would be doing.

Hana was also restraining herself. Unlike Uo's physical approach, she did not have to be close to zap the fanatical females. However, she was could not maintain her concentration with the sound of her Tohru's crying in her ears.

Finally, the door flew open. The janitor leapt out of the way as the two teenagers practically lunged at their friend. They carefully embraced their friend between them before they pulled back to examine her for injury. A black eye was obvious. There was a swollen knot on her temple that was bleeding, as was her lip. Her uniform was torn in multiple places, making it almost indecent. They were shocked beyond belief that someone had actually dared to strike Tohru Honda, the sweetest, kindest girl in the world.

Uo carefully picked up the sobbing girl and proceeded to carry her to the Nurse's Office, closely shadowed by Hana.

----

"What happened!" A furious Kyo demanded.

"Keep your voice down. Miss Honda is resting." Yuki replied, trying to tame his cousin.

He grunted which was as much of an apology as could be expected. He growled. "I'm just so pissed that someone would do this."

"I understand how you feel, but there's nothing we can do right now. Her friends will take care of her and then tell us what we need to know." Yuki sighed. That was one of the few signs of frustration he let out.

"I'd wish they'd hurry up and let us see her…" Yuki nodded in agreement.

----

Tohru Honda was lying under a blanket while a spare uniform was being sought out. She had related the tale to her friends, obviously leaving out the painful parts of the story.

"They said that they didn't like me being around Yuki so much and wanted me to stay away from him or this would happen again..." She trailed off, in that gentle voice of hers. Hana sat next to her holding her hand. Uo was on the other side of the bed, protectively between Tohru and the door. Tohru had several bandages on her mid-section, bruises and cuts that were once hidden by her uniform.

"I won't let this happen again…" Uo said, grimly.

"Yes, they won't attempt this again…" Hana agreed, darkly, if not more so than usual.

"No!" Tohru's voice stopped their vengeful thoughts in their tracks. "Don't strike back… I don't want you two to get in trouble for me."

'Typical Tohru. Always working so hard for everyone else's interests, while always ignoring her own.' Hana thought with a sigh. She spoke, trying to reason with her friend. "But we can't let them get away with it. They might take it as an opening to do it again, because we know you won't ignore Yuki."

"They've become a lot more aggressive since Motoko graduated. They've been harassing you constantly and they've got it coming." Uo commented.

"No. Promise me you two won't attack them or use your abilities." A moment of frustrated silence. "Promise me, Hana." She was pleading with those big blue eyes. Hana couldn't resist that look from the girl that she secretly loved more than anything.

"Okay, Tohru." Hana sighed and squeezed the hand she held.

"Uo, promise, too. My mother wouldn't want you to do this." Tohru hit Uo's weakness hard. Kyoko was the one person looked up to. She had gotten Uo out of the gang she was in. Hana was sure her tall friend had once had a crush on Tohru's mother.

"Fine, but I don't have to be nice to them, okay?" The Yanki grunted as Tohru's smile appeared. It was only slightly dimmed by the shiner she had received. She had two stubborn and tough friends, but they didn't stand a chance against Tohru's bright, determined nature.

Hana was pondering something. There had to be something that could be done. She looked at Uo. "Maybe we can take some other strategy to protect Tohru…"

"What do you mean, Hana?" Tohru was curious.

"I mean, that perhaps there is a way to make you seem less threatening to the Prince Yuki fan club girls. A preventative strategy, if you will…"

Uo was a little irritated. "Hana, I know you like to be all mysterious and all, but how about explaining that to the rest of us…"

Hana sighed. "If Tohru's going out with someone, the fan club girls won't be as hostile towards her."

"So who do we set her up with? Kyo?" Uo reasoned. (Outside a pair of Sohmas' start sneezing.)

"No, he's too close to Yuki. They might take it as some sort of 'conspiracy' to throw them off." Hana said. She didn't like where this plan was leading her.

"Well, if you eliminate all the Sohma's then there's not any males left that I could trust… Wait a minute. Are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting?" Hana nodded, blushing slightly.

"What are you two talking about?" Their conversation was going over Tohru's innocent head.

"So is it going to be me or you?" Uo looked as if she were getting ready for 'rock-paper-scissors.'

"I'll do it." Hana said. She knew it would be hard for her to keep her feelings hidden, but if it was to keep the girl beside her safe it would be worth it. A small glimmer of hope grew. 'Maybe she really might feel the same way.'

"Do what?" Tohru was still confused. Then, the nurse returned with a spare uniform. They gave Tohru a bit of privacy to change. She came around the screen slowly. "Okay, now, can you explain to me what you were talking about?"

"Okay." Hana was nervous. 'This might take a moment.'

----

Yuki and Kyo were anxious to get in when they saw the nurse go back into the office, but she told them to stay put. A few minutes later, Uo came out first, followed by Tohru who was leaning on her psychic friend.

"Hi, Kyo, Yuki," she looked a little surprised to see them. She let go of Hana for a moment to show them that she was fine. Then, in a surprising move, reached over and grabbed Hana's hand. Kyo and Yuki looked at their joined hands. They looked at Tohru, Hana, Uo, and then each other, clearly confused at the gesture. Tohru blushed and looked at Hana expectantly.

"I guess I should explain… Tohru and I are going out." Hana explained as if it were completely normal. The two Sohmas' reactions were similar. Their jaws dropped and they were speechless. She and Uo decided to use this opportunity to explain the circumstances of the ambush. Yuki looked angry, at himself and the fan girls. Kyo was furious. However, their emotions cooled when they looked back at the joined hands. "This incident helped me realize how strongly I felt for Tohru, so I asked her to be my girlfriend." She finished with a small smile. She had always liked to watch them squirm, even if she had something important to tell them.

"What! That's not how things are supposed to happen! It's not normal!" Kyo yelled.

"Maybe not, but we're not exactly so normal ourselves…" Yuki replied. "Besides, if Miss Honda has accepted her feelings, then she must reciprocate them. Doesn't she deserve to be happy, cat?"

Kyo remained silent. Uo spoke. "It surprised me too, orange-top… But I really want Tohru to be happy. I know that her mother would be okay with it." She patted the other girls on the shoulder with a smile.

Kyo wasn't satisfied. "Well, I'm not Tohru's mother and neither are you! How can you be so sure she'd be okay with this…relationship!" He took off down the hall at a sprint.

Uo clenched her fists. Kyo had a way of hitting someone's sensitive spots, not to mention he wasn't gentle about the prodding.

Yuki sighed and shook his head as he watched his cousin retreat. "He's probably already sorry he said it." He turned to Tohru. "He's probably a little jealous. Anyway, we were both really concerned about you. Are you okay, Miss Honda?"

"I'm a little sore, but I'll be fine so don't worry about me." A typical Tohru answer. She would never admit to feeling ill until she passed out. She always put the needs of others before herself. (Her application for a shrine is in the mail!)

Yuki turned to Hana. "You know that it will be difficult for people to accept your relationship, unless you keep it secret."

Hana nodded, but it was Uo who answered. "It's not like anybody will mess with Tohru if she's going out with Hana. Tohru'll probably get less crap from it than being around you…" It took a second to realize what she said before saying: "Sorry."

"I understand. As long as you two are happy I will do my best to support you."

Hana spoke. "Don't worry; I can handle it as long as Tohru's with me. We've been through so much together all ready." She looked longingly at her 'girlfriend.' To Uo, it was quite convincing. Of course, Hana had told her how she felt about their friend after the incident with the fan club girls at her house. She let out that Tohru was her 'weakness.' Not to mention, she was also her source of strength. "By the way, Tohru's coming over to stay with me a few days until the fan club girls cool down, so could we stop by and get some clothes for her after school?"

Yuki nodded before asking: "What are you going to tell your parents?" Yuki asked.

'Good question…" Hana thought. "Well, my mother won't care. She had a girlfriend for years and loves Tohru. I won't have to worry much about father. He's always at work. Megumi has always thought of her as another sister, so things will be fine."

"Well, I'll see you later, I have a meeting to attend." Yuki slowly walked off as the three girls returned to class.

End Chapter One

So how did it go? I've been tinkering with this story for over a year and finally decided to publish it. Mostly because of the pressure of my other stories. I'd want to finish something first, before adding on more to the pile.

I wouldn't expect swift updates, but I'll try according to how enthusiastic a response I get. (Not trying to force you to update, I swear)

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, so here's the next part…

Sorry if my characterizations are a little off. I will also deviate from the manga in a key area. How about we just assume I'm using the anime? Deal? (nods) Thanks.

This chapter also features another of my favorite characters, Shigure. He's my zodiac sigh, so we should be a lot alike. If I go a little overboard, stun gun me, okay?

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket. Sorry! I'm just writing a shoujo-ai fanfiction for fun!

As usual:  
Speech "…"  
Thoughts '…'  
Comments (…)

Looking for a Weakness: Chapter 2

After school ended, a trio of girls and one boy headed to Shigure's house. Kyo had avoided the new couple for the rest of the day.

Yuki shook his head. "That stupid cat." He mumbled to himself. He turned to Tohru, Hana, and Uo. "I'm really sorry for his behavior."

Tohru just smiled sagely. "It's all right. Just wait until we get home. I'm sure he'll come around." Hana squeezed her hand and gave her a small smile. She loved Tohru's positive attitude.

"If he doesn't, we'll just have to convince him to come around…" Uo said popping her knuckles.

"Uo…" Tohru scolded.

The Yanki pouted, looking properly ashamed. "Sorry Tohru." 'She uses those eyes. They remind me so much of Kyoko.'

Once they arrived, Shigure, who was anxiously waiting on the porch, met Tohru halfway. "Oh, are you all right? Kyo came home all upset. Well, as upset as he can appear. Who did this to you?" To Hana and Uo, the older Sohma was suddenly a mother hen as he looked over his young friend.

"I'm all right, Shigure. I just had a little problem with some girls at school." She said trying to wave it off.

"Okay, but if there is any more problems, I will have to do the mature grown up thing and whine to the principal!" His voice went all high pitched. "Don't make me act like a grown up. I don't wanna!" The dog truly wished he could hug the kind girl without transforming into man's best friend. He led the quartet into the living area.

Hana let Uo speak up. "Well, that's part of the reason why Tohru's going to be spending a few days at Hana's place, so she won't be seen walking to school with him. I believe they've been watching them coming to school together."

Tohru grimaced temporarily. She didn't want to let Shigure know about Yuki's fanatical followers causing trouble. The author's eyebrow raised but he said nothing.

"It's all right…" Uo continued. "We're sure they won't bother her again when she finds out about…" The blond stopped uncertain if she could continue.

"About what?" Shigure asked, curiously.

Yuki smiled. "Go ahead, it'll be fine."

Tohru smiled and wrapped an arm around Hana's waist. "We're going out now."

Shigure blinked. Then, he blinked again before bursting into a smile. "Ah! Young love has finally swept our sweet Tohru off her feet!" He said in a dramatic tone as he grabbed the girl and waltzed her around the room. "Her heart has been grasped by the gothic flower who blessed Miss Honda with the gift of her own."

Yuki just bonked him on the head. "Stop that. You sound too much like my snake of a brother."

Shigure looked hurt. "Why not? He is my darling Ayame!"

Yuki hit him again. "Stop that, you pervert."

Shigure pouted. "It's all right for our lovely miss to be with her girlfriend, but I can't express my closeness with my cousin?"

Yuki sighed and muttered. "No wonder Hattori won't be seen in public with you two…"

Uo and Tohru laughed. Hana let a small smile show.

Shigure smiled. "So Tohru, how long will you be staying with Miss Hanajima?"

Tohru looked at Hana for conformation. "About 3 nights, we want to give the fan girls some time to cool off."

"Well, we three poor bachelors will miss your divine cooking, Tohru." He said placing the back of his hand to his forehead. "I don't know how we will survive without you, but we shall surely manage." He gave her a smile. "Have fun and enjoy your time with your new love!"

Tohru smiled back, blushing. "I will!" She led the other girls up the stairs to her room.

Shigure looked at Yuki who had finally seated himself. "That was quite a surprise for you wasn't it?"

The "Prince" nodded. "It caught both Kyo and I completely off-guard." Then, he paused. "Why aren't you surprised?"

The writer smiled. "I noticed the look on Hanajima's face every time she looked at Tohru. It's hard to read, but you can see the love in her eyes whenever she looks at her." He laughed at Yuki's blush. "I'm just surprised that Uo wasn't competing with her for Tohru."

----

The three girls collected some of Tohru's sparse amount of clothes in a suitcase on the bed. Hana made a comment. "Now that we're 'going out,' perhaps it would be an ideal time for me to buy you some clothes."

Tohru waved her hands. "No that's all right, Hana! You don't have to buy me anything!"

Hana gave her a look. "Tohru, we're friends, if nothing more. I really want to buy you some new clothes. Please?" She gave the other girl a pleading look. Tohru caved eventually. 'I always wanted to get her something nice.'

"But nothing too expensive, okay?" she commented, pouting.

Uo spoke, purposefully ignoring her friend's cute pleading. "Plus, it'll give you some exposure to the fan club girls. There is a chance they'll see you out shopping together."

"I guess we can go tomorrow after school…" Tohru said, conceding. They carried the suitcase downstairs.

----

Tohru refused to leave without making dinner for the Sohmas. While she was alone in the kitchen, she heard the door slide open. She was surprised to see orange hair.

"Kyo?"

He grumbled. "I'm sorry, okay?" He dug his toe into a spot on the floor. "I can accept the fact that you and Hanajima are together."

"Thank you Kyo!" Tohru went to hug him, but stopped herself in time. Instead, she petted him on the head.

"I'm not a cat, remember!" He growled. Tohru pulled her hand back. "Sorry…"

The rice ball smiled but pointed out: "You might want to apologize to Uo. She was really hurt by what you said about my mother…"

Kyo began to sweat. It was easy with Tohru. She wouldn't kick his ass. Uo might. "Fine." He said, stalking into the dining room, where the rest were uncomfortably assembled. The girls just gave him long stares. "I apologized, all right?" Hana nodded. "Okay, Uo… I'm really sorry about what I said. You too, Hanajima…"

"Apology accepted." Uo said. Hana nodded.

"Yeah whatever…" Kyo said, grabbing a bowl of soup.

----

After the short meal, the Sohmas walked the trio part of the way back to town. From there, after sharing several hugs, Uo split off to head back to her apartment.

Hana stopped her. "I cleaned your jacket last night. Here." She handed over Uo's butterfly jacket that she wore for special occasions. (the one from the episode when they visited Kyoko's grave)

"See ya later, lovebirds!" Uo said teasingly, noticing both blushes. 'They're so in denial. Hopefully, this pretend relationship will turn into a real one. Now, how to get them to tell how they really feel…'

She waved as she went on her way.

----

Uo whistled a happy tune to herself. 'Too bad I can't get back at those girls… But Hana did promise that there was still a possibility of retribution without breaking our promise to Tohru…'

She kicked a can across the sidewalk scaring a stray cat. As she closed in on the park, she heard noises. It sounded like a group of angry girls with another voice calling for help. "What's going on?" She rushed toward the park. 'Could it be a gang?'

The Yanki quickly donned her black butterfly coat and pulled her mask from the pocket. Sure she wasn't an active gang member, but hopefully some of her reputation was still around.

"Please, stop!" A soft voice pleaded.

"Didn't you want to join us? This is a part of the process. Deal with it!" A rougher voice replied harshly. Then there was a dull thud and a groan of pain.

Uo noticed a shorter girl with black hair, surrounded by 5 other girls. She was bleeding from a busted lip and was limping away. 'An initiation.' She inwardly winced. Hers was a particularly painful memory.

"Leave her alone!" She yelled as her face mask muffled her voice.

The girls jumped, but laughed. Their leader, a tall girl with short blonde hair replied: "And who's going to stop me?"

Uo stepped into the light. She attempted to make full use of her intimidation skills. "I am." She said coldly.

The group of girls felt a chill. One of them noticed the mask and the coat. "She's not a normal girl!"

Uo continued her act. "This is why I retired from my gang… All these sloppy little girls who just want to act tough. In reality, all of you are only little bullies." She gave them all demeaning looks, finishing with the leader. She knew that all she had to do was scare her off and it would end without blows being exchanged. She didn't want to shame Kyoko by going back to violence. "I think you should leave my territory before I decide to remove you myself."

The blonde backed up a step. "I'll be back for you when your bodyguard isn't around!" She said trying to maintain some dignity as she and the other girls ran off.

Arisa reached down to help the other girl up after removing her mask. "Are you all right?"

The other girl looked up with scared brown eyes. "I-I'm fine. Thank you for rescuing me… Miss…" She was in awe of the blond standing over her, who had a look of concern on her face.

"Arisa Uotani." She helped the girl to her feet. "I'm guessing you got in over your head…"

"K-Kotone Shizune." She rubbed a sore spot on her side. "Yeah, one of the girls said she knew how I could make new friends quickly since I'm new in town. When I got here, they explained what they were going to do and I tried to run."

Arisa sighed. The girl had made a mistake, but she had to have been naïve, kind of like another girl she knew. "Let me walk you home."

"Okay." Kotone had spent a lot of time hearing fairy tales. She had never truly believed in the concept of the dashing prince, but here was a golden, shining example.

----

"Megumi, I'm home." Hana called out into the quiet house. Most would think the Hanajima house would be unsettling in its deathlike silence; however, friends found it peaceful like a sanctuary.

"Hello, sister, Tohru." The younger Hanajima sibling bore a close resemblance to his sister, although personality-wise, he was more apt to tease Tohru. "You're back a little late."

Hanajima gave her brother a small smile. "We went by to pick up some of Tohru's clothes. She'll be staying with us a couple of nights." Megumi looked at Tohru and noticed the bandages. His eyes widened slightly, but his sister interrupted. "The Prince Yuki Fan Club got jealous and ambushed her."

The middle school student scowled at someone who wasn't there. "I'm guessing Motoko is no longer among them?" Hana nodded. "Hmm…" He walked off to his room.

Tohru watched him go, then looked at Hana. "What's going on?"

Hana grinned inwardly. "Nothing… He's just going to his room to cool down. He may not show it, but he's rather upset that you were hurt."

"Oh…" Tohru looked worried.

Hana stopped her from thinking too much into it. "It's a sign that we love you. We get upset because we care so much about you." Tohru visibly relaxed as Hana hugged her.

----

(Later that night)

"Are you ready to go to sleep, Tohru?" Hana asked as she slipped on her nightgown.

Tohru, who was blushing, nodded. "If you are…"

Hana smiled and slipped into the bed. As the other girl got under the sheets, she noticed her "girlfriend" had her arms open for her. She promptly snuggled in.

Hana sighed peacefully. 'Now if I could do this for the rest of my life…' She thought before she fell asleep.

Tohru always felt secure in Hana's arms. Not to mention warm, in a good way. 'I hope her arm doesn't go to sleep. I could really get used to this.'

End Chapter 2

Oops. I think I imagined Yumi from Maria-sama when I envisioned Kotone. That would make Uo into Sei! (panics) It wasn't intentional, I promise! By the way, I give name credit to Teresa Kaiju who answered my prayers by delivering me an OC name (actually a list of them)!

I hope this chapter was up to my usual standards, but I hope to be better each time.

Review, if you will. I'd like to know how well I'm doing. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the long hiatus. I didn't mean to let the real world get to me like that. But now I'm free, so hopefully Inspiration (the name of my moogle muse) will come out of hiding.

Short rant-continuation: Remember the idea for a shoujo-ai ending for Fruits Basket? I'd have Hana and Tohru together with them being made a part of the family and everyone is happy.

Note: In the first chapter, I mentioned Hana's parents. I've changed my mind about them, so hold on. I'm bringing in some special guests instead. (Forgive me? I have a feeling you will!)

As usual:  
Talking "…"  
Thinking '…'  
Comments (…)

Looking for a Weakness: Chapter 3

(Still late at night)

Uo smiled as she looked at the girl leaning on her shoulder. 'She's kind of cute… even with the limp.'

Kotone looked up at the taller blonde. "Is there something on my face?"

Uo laughed. "No, I'm just worrying about you." The other girl blushed. "So what are you going to tell your parents?"

Kotone sobered. "My dad won't be there. That's the reason why we moved. He got a new job at a nearby television station and they keep him there for days at a time. Mom's been gone for a few years now."

"Sorry… I know how you feel; I've been on my own for a while now. My uncle shows up every now and then its to give me just enough money to eat and pay rent." There was an awkward silence.

The short-haired girl decided to try something. "Thanks for rescuing me."

"No problem. I'm just glad that being a former gang member has been useful for once."

"So you're not a part of a gang anymore?"

"No." At the curious look from the other girl, she elaborated. "I was helped by a woman who had been down that road before. Her name was Kyoko. She's the mother of my best friend, Tohru."

Kotone didn't want to ask the next question, but felt she had to. "What happened to Kyoko?"

"She died in a car crash and left Tohru alone."

"I'm so sorry." To Uo, Kotone sounded genuine which made the memory less painful.

"It's fine. Tohru's all right." Uo looked around. "Are we getting close to your home?" They were in a district of town that was filled with moderately expensive apartments.

Kotone nodded. "It's that one right there." She pointed to a classy building.

"Nice place."

"You'd think so," She said with a sigh.

-----

The apartment was more spacious than Uo's own. There were a number of cardboard boxes spread out, signifying how recently Kotone had arrived.

Uo stopped her visual sweep and focused on the important facts. "So where's your first aid kit?"

Kotone opened up a box labeled 'kitchen' and handed her the kit. Uotani accepted it and had the other girl sit down. Kotone blushed when she realized that she had to remove her shirt. Uo gave her a comforting smile.

'I just met her and she's going to see me in my bra! How embarrassing!' Uo handed her a large towel to preserve some of her modesty. With a cough, Kotone announced she was done.

"That wasn't too bad, was it?" Uo said with one of those charming smiles.

Kotone resisted the urge to swoon, knowing she still had a lot to go through.

-----

(Same night – Hanajima residence)

In his room, Megumi smiled to himself. His sister had mentioned that Tohru had made her and Uotani promise not to take revenge against the Prince Yuki Fan Club. Tohru had not included him in the promise. 'Has Motoko graduated yet? ...I can't remember. Well, she started the club, so she has to accept the risks.' He chuckled quietly to himself.

-----

(Kotone's Apartment)

"There, I'm done." Arisa said, announcing she was finished.

Kotone smiled back. "I can't thank you enough for helping me. I haven't done anything to deserve this."

Uo found that she couldn't help but play it cool. "It was nothing. I can't stand by when there's a damsel in distress. Besides, I'm used to watching over Tohru." She made her way over to the door.

The dark-haired girl panicked. "W-wait! Do you have to go?"

Uo thought for a minute. "Not really. Is there something else?"

Kotone blushed brightly. "Would you mind staying the night? I'm still kind of scared." In truth, she wasn't afraid, but she really didn't want to say goodbye to the first true friend she had made. Plus, there was still the chance she might sweep her off her feet. 'Right. Keep on dreaming... She's probably either straight or crushing on this Tohru girl.'

Uo was having her own dilemma. 'What kind of pajamas am I going to end up in? I hope she likes long and baggy, otherwise I'm going to be showing off an awful lot.'

-----

Hana noticed that she was in a familiar classroom. This wasn't her high school. She also realized that her perspective was shorter. 'Am I at middle school? It must be a dream.' A chill went down her spine. 'Does that mean…'

She looked around for Tohru or Uo, but couldn't find them. Then, she realized that the other students in the room were giving her evil looks.

The closest girl pointed at her and yelled, "Freak! What is wrong with you? You could at least try to be normal!"

Another girl smacked her and she fell to the floor. "Yeah, you don't talk to anybody. I hate how you stare at me with those freaky eyes."

"Me too!" She leaned in even closer, as if she had something important to declare. "I hear that she loves another girl too. You know, the odd one that smiles all the time."

"A pair of lezzies! Oh boy, they're going to fry!" They laughed.

Hana let out a bit of a growl at the thought of someone hurting Tohru.

A boy cautioned them. "Be careful, she's really a witch! One girl got too close and was zapped. She was out for a week!"

The first girl smiled. "That just means we don't get close to her!" She picked up a mysteriously placed rock and threw it at her. One-by-one the classmates joined in and tossed rocks at her and chanted, "Kill the witch! Kill the lesbian!"

Hana began to panic as she felt the rocks impact.

-----

(Hana's Room)

Tohru awoke when she felt the girl cuddled up to her shift restlessly. 'What's wrong with Hana? She must be having a bad dream.' Her fears were confirmed when her quiet friend began to call for her. She shook her gently, which slowly roused her from sleep. "Are you all right, Hana?" Tohru asked her. "Was it a nightmare?"

Saki was quiet for a moment. Tohru waited patiently. Then, the gothic girl nodded and buried her face into Tohru's shoulder. She cried softly.

Tohru held her. 'I hope she'll talk to me about it.' She took a breath. "So can you tell me what it was about? It loses its power when you talk about it."

Hana pulled back, just enough to look Tohru in the eye. She knew it would give her courage, because Hana felt that Tohru was the bravest girl in the world. "It was like before I met you and Uo. They called me 'freak' and 'witch.' It was different from my other nightmares because this time my classmates threw rocks at me." She left out the part about them hating her for loving Tohru.

"That's terrible! I'd never let them do that to you! And neither would Uo, Kyo, or Yuki!" Tohru declared to the quiet room. "And you're not a freak or a witch. You're just different and I love you for it." Both girls blushed at her choice of words, but were unable to notice because of the darkness of the room.

"Thank you, Tohru. I feel much better now." She squeezed the other girl gently, signaling that she could cuddle back in. Tohru gathered up her courage and gave her "girlfriend" a quick peck on the cheek before hiding in the other girl's chest.

Hana was extremely confused. 'Is she giving me a hint? Is there a chance?'

Tohru was surprised that Hana couldn't feel her heart racing.

It took them a while to go back to sleep.

-----

(The Sohma Residence)

Yuki sat quietly on the porch, staring at the stars. He could hear Shigure laughing in front of his computer. He always seemed to find his own jokes hilarious. (I do too when I'm writing) Yuki pondered going upstairs and listening to his headphones to drown out the narcissistic laughter.

The steps behind him creaked, which signaled that he was no longer alone. Shigure's cackling was still on the other side of the house, so it meant… "Kyo."

"Rat… What are we gonna do about your stupid fanclub?" Kyo didn't sound angry, but determined.

Yuki sighed. "I don't know. I always tolerated them, because I thought they were harmless. I believed that their interest in me would eventually wane." He shook his head sadly. "I don't know what to do."

"Me either."

"You won't need to." A third voice added. Both teens turned around to look at a smirking Shigure. In his hand, he held a note.

"What do you mean?" Yuki asked.

Shigure shared a conspiratorial look. "Miss Hanajima kindly left a note explaining in a round about way that her brother might handle things."

The other Sohmas gave each other confused looks and shared a thought. 'What can Hana's brother do?'

-----

(The next morning – Hanajima residence)

Hana smiled looking down at the girl sleeping in her arms. For her, it was like a dream come true. Sure, she had cuddled with Tohru before, but she had had to share with Uo as well. This time, it was possible to pretend that they were really a couple.

Her early morning daydream took her years into the future. She imagined a couple of lively girls racing into their room to wake them in the morning. 'Tohru would greet our children with her most radiant, if drowsy, smile. I would help them get ready for school so Tohru could make them breakfast. Then, after they're gone we could crawl back into bed until we wanted to work at our home business.' It was silly, but it was her dream.

She felt a shifting next to her and saw a pair of blue eyes staring into her own. "Good morning, Tohru."

"Morning, Hana," She rubbed at her eyes cutely. "How long have you been awake?" She returned her head to her "girlfriend's" shoulder as if reluctant to leave the embrace.

Hana, not wanting to explain that she had spent the last fifteen minutes watching her sleep, smiled. "Not long… I forgot to mention that my parents would be home today."

Tohru suddenly looked nervous. "O-okay," she stuttered.

Hana squeezed her gently. "Don't worry, they'll love you." It was surprising to her how Tohru hadn't met her parents by now. The truth was Hana was afraid what Tohru would think when she met them. Thus, she had only had Tohru over her house when they were away on business trips.

The two girls quickly dressed for school before heading downstairs together, being drawn by a wonderful smell from the kitchen. They first noticed Megumi calmly eating a plate of scrambled eggs.

Tohru gasped as she took in the appearance of the woman seated across from the youngest Hanajima. The lovely woman was very tall with extremely long dark hair. She bore a strong resemblance to both children.

Then, she had another surprise. A shorter woman with reddish pigtails walked over to place a plate in front of the elegant woman and kissed her on the cheek. The dark haired woman blushed and gave the other woman a loving smile. Megumi rolled his eyes before he noticed the new additions.

"Good morning, Mom, "Father."" Hana said, announcing her presence, since Tohru was still speechless. Her heart was pounding, worried that Tohru didn't like what she was seeing.

In truth, Tohru was bursting with joy inside. She smiled at the two women.

The elegant woman smiled back, a familiar one that she shared with Hana. "Hello, Tohru. It's wonderful to meet you." She shook the girl's hand. "Sakaki Hanajima."

A cheerful, peppy voice chimed in: "You're Tohru? I'm so glad to meet the wonderful friend who's taken care of our sweet daughter." Her taller wife laid a calming hand on top of her head. "Sorry. I get a little excited sometimes. I'm Chiyo Hanajima, but Hana probably called me "father."" She noticed the worried look from her daughter. "I'm sorry if it comes as a shock to you that we're both women, but…"

"No! I don't mind. I think it's wonderful!" Tohru blurted out. Realizing her volume, she blushed.

"I'm so glad!" Chiyo declared as she gave her a warm hug. "Thank you for understanding. I know our daughter was worried about how you'd feel about us."

"Why? She had nothing to worry about. I'm just so glad to meet you!" Tohru continued. Chiyo handed her and Hana plates and poured them some juice. She suddenly had a thought and wanted to ask, but was kind of embarrassed.

Chiyo laughed, figuring out the confused look on the girl's face. "You're wondering how I got to be the 'father,' right?" She laughed at the blush on Tohru's face. "Well, Sakaki carried and gave birth to our children for one reason. And there was the fact that my wife says I bear a striking resemblance to my father… I'm still not sure what she means by that though."

Sakaki blushed, which sent everyone into laughter.

End

Next time: The return to school!

So what do you think of the new parents? I always noticed how Hana acted sort of like Sakaki in a way (I don't care if I'm reaching). It's fun this way, isn't it?

Sorry for the tremendous wait. It wasn't easy to start this one, but once I did… I went over it again and again to make sure it didn't suck! Once it passed Teresa's test, it was ready!

Please review if you will! Thanks!


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